[REVISION HISTORY]

Nord Stream sabotage investigations continue

Updated 16 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-02 02:07 UTC → 2026-09-13 06:05 UTC · added ~~removed~~

German prosecutors have deepened the probe into the September 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage. After initially charging former SBU officer Sergei Kuznetsov in July 2025, German authorities filed a formal indictment on 21 July 2026. The charge alleges that Kuznetsov organised a team of Ukrainian nationals, chartered the yacht Andromeda and directed divers who placed explosives near the Danish island of Bornholm. The indictment relies on intercepted communications, mobile-phone data and a monitored call with Kuznetsov’s wife in which he reportedly said he acted under a Ukrainian intelligence network and felt abandoned by Kyiv. Investigators also name a commander known as “Roman”, identified as intelligence officer Roman Chervinsky, as part of the operative chain. A second indictment on 23 July 2026 framed the act as a war crime, asserting that the explosions were carried out under instructions from Ukrainian state bodies and alleging damage to three of four pipelines. While Ukraine’s Prosecutor General has stated there is no indication that state bodies or officials participated, the Kremlin has called the indictment proof of a “terrorist act.” In August 2026, the investigation led to several ~~arrests. Following a European arrest warrant,~~ arrests, including Ukrainian diving instructor Volodymyr Zhuravlyov ~~was detained in Pula, Croatia. Subsequently, another Ukrainian national,~~ and Vladimir ~~Z., was also arrested~~ Z. in ~~Pula; reports indicate he had been working as a consultant for the film ‘Snake Island’, a political thriller dramatizing the sabotage. Additionally,~~ Croatia, and Sergii K. ~~was arrested~~ in ~~Italy and~~ Italy, who was subsequently extradited to Germany. By late August 2026, Russian Ambassador Sergei Nechaev criticized German rhetoric, claiming the Kyiv regime could not have carried out the attack alone without detection and asserting that Ukrainian state structures were behind the sabotage. In September 2026, investigators identified a group of seven Ukrainian nationals as primary ~~suspects, including explosives specialist Yevhen U.,~~ suspects. Following these developments, the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg scheduled a trial to begin on 14 October 2026. The proceedings will focus on Serhii K., who ~~remains at large.~~ faces charges including war crimes and the destruction of public infrastructure. Hearings are expected to continue through February 2027.

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